Originally posted by mjhulik
If I were to setup a Fish only tank, What kind of sand or bottom stuff should I put in there. And do I just put fake decor in there and not live rock. I'm not really sure on what to do? I currently have a 12 gal with live rock and live sand, is my tank considered a reef tank or not. I need to get the logo down. Thanks
You actually don't even need sand or bottom stuff. Barebottom tanks have alot of benefits if you're comfortable with the appearance. IMO live sand, particularly pre-packaged live sand, is highly over rated. Any sand will become flush with life after awhile if you add just a hand/cup full of live sand from an established aquarium or add healthy live rock.
There are countless types of sand or crushed coral you could add to your display. Some will help buffer your water parameters particularly ph. Certainly there is nothing wrong with adding live rock to a fish setup, in fact its very beneficial. They're commonly called fowlr setups.
In the new hobbiest forum there is a stickie with abbreviations to glance over
HTH's (hope that helps)